Combination surface and intaglio printing machine



May 13, 1941. H. A. SCOTT ET AL 2,242,045

COMBINATION SURFACE AND INTAGLIO PRINTING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 26, 1957 4 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 T511. l. o

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ATTORNEYS May 13, 1941'. H. A. SCOTT ET AL COMBINATION SURFACE AND INTAGLIO PRINTING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 26, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS May 13, 1941. 1 H. A. scoTT ET AL. 2,242,045

COMBINATION SURFACE AND INTAGLIO PRINTING MACHINE Original Filed Oct. 26, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 lNVaENT R5 ATTORNEYS May 13, 1941.

H. A. SCOTT ET AL 2,242,045

COMBINATIQN SURFACE AND INTAGLIO PRINTING MACHINE Original Filed 001;. 26, 1957 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY Patented May 13, 1941 COMBINATION SURFACE AND INTAGLIO PRINTING MACHINE Harry A. Scott, Van Wert, Ohio, and Lynn B. Case. New Brunswick, N. J., assignors to John Waldron Corporation. New Brunswick, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application October 26, 1937, Serial No. 171.016. Divided and this application April 17, 1940, Serial No. 330,002

1 Claim.

This invention relates to printing machines and more especially to printing machines having a plurality of printing cylinders.

An object of this invention is a printing machine of the multiple cylinder type of such con struction that it may be operated either as a letterpress machine, an intaglio machine or a combined letterpress and intaglio machine.

In a printing machine embodying the invention. a frame is provided having means for supporting a plurality of printing heads. The arrangement and design is such that the heads are interchangeable and occupy horizontal positions while the vertical distance between the heads is reduced to a minimum, thereby permiting more printing heads for a given size machine. Each head supports a printing cylinder and an impression cylinder for each plate cylinder is supported by the frame. Means are provided for effecting rotation of all the printing cylinders in unison and separable coupling means are provided between each impression cylinder and the driving means for the co-operating printing cylinder. When the printing cylinder of a head is of the letterpress type, the co-operating impression cylinder is coupled to the cylinder driving means so that the impression cylinder is positively driven in synchronism with the print ing cylinder. When the printing cylinder of a head is of the intaglio type, the coupling means between the impression cylinder and the printing cylinder driving means is disconnected and the impression cylinder is rotated by frictional sur face contact between it and the web being printed. The supporting means for the printing cylinder is so designed as to permit easy interchange of printing cylinders so that a letterpress cylinder may be substituted for an intaglio cylinder and vice-versa without the modification of any other part of the machine. With the arrangement above described, the machine may be used either for letterpress printing or intaglio printing or a combination of both forms of printing.

Other objects, novel features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following specification and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying one form of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevational view of a printing head;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2;.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the r machine;

Fig. 5 is a section substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6 is an elevation of a modification.

A frame i0 is provided with a plurality of vertical mounting pads H, to two or more of which are attached printing heads I2 extending horizontally from the sides of the machine. In the embodiment herein illustrated, six such pads are provided but only four heads are shown mounted thereon. The frame is adapted for vertical enlargement to place up to four or more heads on each side of the machine, making a total of eight or more separate impressions that can be printed. depending upon the height of the heads.

The particular structure of the heads is described and claimed in Scott et al. Patent No. 2,102,386 and so will not be herein described in detail. For the proper understanding of this invention, it need only be noted that the head is equipped with an ink fountain iii in which is rotatably arranged a fountain roller M and that the head also supports a transfer roller l5 and a printing cylinder I B and that the head is adjustable toward and away from the frame through the medium of a hand wheel W and associated mechanism as described in said patent (Figs. 1 and 2). Intermeshing gears Ha, l5a and Mia are connected respectively to the rollers l4, l5 and I6 and constitute means for rotating said rollers in synchronism.

The printing cylinder I6 is carried by a shaft H, the ends of which are journalled in bearings supported by a slide S adjustable on the heady by a hand wheel H and associated feed screw (Figs. 2 and 3). Such bearings consist of a stationary section l8 and a pivoted latch section l8a, suitably recessed to receive the end of the shaft. A pivoted screw-threaded bolt l9 and wing nut 20 provide means for holding the latch portion l8a in shaft-supporting position. Each end of each shaft I1 is provided with a pair of collars 2|, between which snugly fits the head of the latch portion l8w which is pivotally sup- 1 ported by a feed screw 22 carried by the head and passing through a threaded bore in the latch. The feed screw 22 is equipped with a hand wheel 23, by means of which the latch portion 1 8a may be moved axially of the printing cylinder to efi'ect lateral adjustment thereof.

In the frame are mounted a plurality of impression rollers 24 having shafts 25 journalled in the frame, each roller being arranged to cooperate with a printing cylinder (Figs. 1 and 2). 0n the shaft 25 of each impression roller is rotatably mounted a bell crank lever 26 having one arm provided with adjusting means 21 (Figs. 1 and 4). Also rotatably mounted on the shaft 25 is a gear 2! which meshes with a gear 28 carried by a shaft 30 iournalled in'the remaining end of the bell crank lever. A sprocket 3| is fixed to each shaft 30. A drive chain 32 passes around idler sprockets 33 and the sprockets 3| and is driven by the driving sprocket 34 (Fig.; 1). The gear 28 is provided with a flanged col- I lar 34a engaging the end the impression roller 24. Bolts 35 are provided for attaching the collar is used for letterpress printing. With the bolts 35 removed, the cylinder 24 is capable of rotation independent of the driving means for the printing cylinder and its rotation is effected by friction exerted on it by the web being printed.

The machine above described may be operated with each of the printing cylinders being of the letterpress type or with each of the cylinders being of the intaglio type or with some of one type and the remainder of the other type. To change a printing head over from one type of printing to the other, it is necessary only to change the printing cylinders which is readily accomplished through the medium of the latch bearings and establish the proper relationship In the modification disclosed in Fig. 6, the a rangement is particularly adapted for intaglio printing, using slower drying inks and necessitating drying before a second printing. Also, in this form, the web of material may be printed on both sides simultaneously or on one side 0 as desired. As in the previous modification, the chain drive is utilized with the same form of printing heads. However, in this form, the web, after it leaves the printing head is conducted interiorly of the frame and the printed matter is dried by pressure air from the nozzles 31 and is exhausted through an overhead hood. If desirbetween the gear 28 and impression roller' and,

between the impression roller and the printing cylinder. A doctor blade is provided for use in connection with the latter is of the intaglio type. Preferably, the doctor is of the vibration type and is pneumatically driven. When a cylinder l5 of the letterpress type is used, the doctor 36 either is removed from the machine or is set back so that it is inoperative.

the printing cylinder l6 when able, the air may be heated before being brought into contact with the web. The web comes -first from the lowest printing head. across the machine to the printing head on the opposite side and thence to another printing head on the first side and such arrangement is repeated as desired. Where it is desired to print only on one side, the printing heads on the opposite side are released from operation.

This application is a division of Scott and Case Patent No. 2,229,266 of January 21, 1941.

We claim:

A machine for either letterpress printing or intaglio printing comprising a frame, an impression cylinder journalled in said frame, a holder supported by said frame for adjustment relative to said impression roller, a printing cylinder rotatably supported by said holder, a train of gears for driving said printing cylinder, means for connecting said impression cylinder to one of said gears for letterpress printing and permitting free rotation of said impression cylinder for intaglio printing, and means for adjusting said holder to vary the operating relationship of the printing cylinder and impression roller to convert the machine from one type of printer to the other ype.

HARRY A. SCO'IT. LYNN B. CASE. 

